STUDY DESIGN: Lumbar disc degeneration and segmental instability of the lumbar spine are causes of low back pain. Disc degeneration causes specific changes of the intervertebral disc, and could affect anatomic variations of end plate and vetebral body. However, the exact relationship between degenerative changes of the intervertebral disc and segmental motion characteristics is not known. It is known that radial tears of the annulus fibrosus initiate or accompany degenerative process of nucleus pulposus and the motion segment. It is hypothesis of this study that the existence of radial tear in the annulus fibrosis affects 3 dimension motion characteristics of motion segment. For the purpose, the degree of intervertebral disc degeneration is newly classified by existence of radial tear. Then, the resulting biomechanical motions are investigated. OBJECTIVES: To investigate effects of disc degeneration by the classification on kinematic motions of the motion segment from human lumbar spine and to suggest a quantified method to determine spinal instability in vivo. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 60 spinal motion segments from human lumbar spine was used for this study. To measure 3 dimensioal motion of the motion segments, Vicon system(Oxford, England) with 3 cameras reflective markers and VAX station was used. 6 kinds of pure moments(flexion, extension, right and left axial rotation, and right and left lateral bending) were applied to the motion segments using dead weight for each loading step. At the end of test(maximum loading), motion segments were frozen for anatomical study. For making clear the degree of the degeneration of the disc, a new classification based on MRI results was used: Grade 1 is a normal young disc without tear; Grade 2 is a normal aging disc without radial tear; Grade 3 is a degenerative disc with radial tear; and Grade 4 is a severely degenerative disc with radial tear and other degeneration such as showing decreased disc height. RESULTS: The upper lumbar specimens with radial tears has increased flexion motions as compared to the normal group. Also, the right and left axial rotation in radial tear group increased as compared to the normal group. However, there were no statistical differences in other motions. For the lower lumbar specimens, there were no significant differences in measured motions in all directions between the normal and radial tear groups CONCLUSIONS: These results suggests that the segmental motions are affected by radial tear in the intervertebral disc. Thus, the radial tear in the annulus fibrosus of lumbar intervertebral disc could cause the instability of lumbar spine. Further research is required to determine the relationship between other structural changes and biomechanical characteristics, and future studies should include in vivo investigations to correlate these findings to patients'symptoms.
Aging ; Classification ; Fibrosis ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc ; Intervertebral Disc Degeneration ; Low Back Pain ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Spine

Entrapment neuropathy of the suprascapular nerve is rare and frequently overlooked in the differential diagnosis of shoulder pain. There have been few published reports on a ganglion compressing the suprascapular nerve. We experienced a case of entrapment neuropathy of the suprascapular nerve by a ganglion that compressed the inferior branch of suprascapular nerve at the spinoglenoid notch.
Diagnosis, Differential ; Ganglion Cysts ; Shoulder Pain

Objectives : A diverse range of adverse effects has been linked to the application of antidepressants for the treatment of depressive disorder. Recently, evidence has been emerging of the adverse metabolic effects of antidepressants. This study investigated the effects of antidepressants on plasma glucose and other factors in the fat and muscle tissue relating to metabolism. METHODS : Long-Evans-Tokushima-Ostuka (LETO) rats were used to evaluate the effects of different antidepressants. Amitriptyline, fluoxetine, and mirtazapine were administered to each of three subgroups for 4 weeks, between 11 and 15 weeks old, while a fourth subgroup was administered no antidepressant during the same period. Changes of weight and daily intake were monitored. Tissues and blood were collected at 15 weeks. RESULTS : The fluoxetine subgroup showed lower weight gain and lower food efficacy ratio than did the other subgroups. Blood glucose and other circulating factors showed no significant differences among groups, except for the leptin levels of the fluoxetine subgroup. However, the amitriptyline and mirtazapine subgroups showed similar patterns in the response of mRNA expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors gamma cofactor-1 and uncoupling protein-1, 2, 3. CONCLUSION : These results could indicate possible differences in metabolic response based on the kind of antidepressant used.
Amitriptyline ; Animals ; Antidepressive Agents ; Blood Glucose ; Depressive Disorder ; Energy Metabolism ; Fluoxetine ; Glucose ; Leptin ; Mianserin ; Muscles ; Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptors ; Plasma ; Rats ; RNA, Messenger ; Weight Gain

No abstract available.
Dermoscopy ; Hemangioma* ; Lasers, Dye

Renal papillary necrosis is rare. It usually occurs in association with diabetes mellitus, pyelonephritis, urinary tract obstruction, analgesic abuse and sickle cell hemoglobinopathies. The basic pathophysiologic process in renal papillary necrosis appears to be ischemic necrosis. We experienced a case of renal papillary necrosis associated with diabetes mellitus. This 59 years old female was diabetic for 10 years and had persistent pyuria, not controlled with antibiotics. The excretory urography showed nonvisualized left kidney and retrograde pyelography showed multiple irregular filling defect in pelvis and ureter. The nephrectomized kidney showed typical findings of papillary necrosis, grossly and microscopically.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Diabetes Mellitus* ; Female ; Hemoglobinopathies ; Humans ; Kidney ; Middle Aged ; Necrosis* ; Pelvis ; Pyelonephritis ; Pyuria ; Ureter ; Urinary Tract ; Urography

There are a number of published reports aimed at clarifying the effect of hormonal contracept -ives upon the quantity and quality of breast milk during postpartum and lactation periods. As to the volume of milk produced by breast feeding mothers, many authors seem to have agreed on a decrease as an established pattern in the periods following regular administration of oral contraceptives containing estrogen in varying dosage. The quality of milk following administration of hormonal contraceptives, however, remsins a controversial issue. Korea's experience in oral contraceptive is rather a brief one, but use of Eugynon has been widespread and frequent since this hormonal contraceptive was introduced into the national program in 1967. The authors have reviewed the potential significance of data concerning regular use of an oral contraceptive as affecting lactation, and have sought to clarify the interrelationship between the administration of Eugynon and quantity and quality of breast milk from mothers contracepting. with Eugynon in different periods following confinement. A total of 85 women, who were at different periods following deliveries, have been divided into, two groups, one comprising 28 women regularly taking oral pills and the other (57 women) not resorting to hormonal contraceptives if they were contracepting at all. 1. Milk Volume. In view of the possible influence of suckling on the amount of milk produced, efforts were made in this study to standardize the technique by extracting breastmilk by applying manual pressures on one side of the maw-nae, While the nipple on the other side was being sucked by the mother's own baby. The effetct of an exogenic ovarian hormone on the quantity as well as quality of breastmilk is generally understood to be inapparent until the drug is administered to women whose milk secreting function has been normalized. ") In the present study, it was observed that the decrease in the ammount of milk obtained from mothers in the periods following the 4th cycle of oral contraceptives or thereafter has turned out to be statistically insignificant. This result conforms i.u the findings by Tubari and others. It is assumed that it takes at lest 2 to 3 cycles of use before mammary glands are functionally adjusted to the use of exogenic hormonal contraceptives. 2. Specific Gravity and Composition of Milk There was no noticeable change in the protein and chloride content following continuous administration of ore.l contraceptives, while meaningful changes were observed in fat (increase) and calcium (decrease up to the 5th cycle use) contents. Also, there was a rather significant decrease in the specific gravity in the period following administration of the first cycle of the oral contraceptive. The findings from the present study partially conforms the results published by Ramadan and others, who reported that little change was noticed in the contents of total solids. ash, chlorides and lactose in the breast milk of women who had taken 4 cycles of ovosiston, although in our study lactose was not measured. Ramaden, however, reported that fat content did increase in the same milk, as in our study. A definitive conclusion, however, could not be made unless measures are taken to rule out the physiological changes of the maternal body affecting the composition of milks.
Breast Feeding ; Calcium ; Chlorides ; Contraceptive Agents ; Contraceptives, Oral ; Estrogens ; Ethinyl Estradiol-Norgestrel Combination ; Female ; Health Resorts ; Humans ; Lactation* ; Lactose ; Mammary Glands, Human ; Milk ; Milk, Human ; Mothers ; Nipples ; Postpartum Period ; Specific Gravity

Intravascular injection of hydrogen peroxide produces oxygen microbubbles suitable for echocardiographic contrast enhancement. To evaluate the effect of a method of myocardial contrast 2-D-echocardiographic delineation of myocardium during acute coronary occlusion, injection of a fresh mixture of 2ml of 0.2% H2O2 and 1ml of heparinized dog blood into aortic root were made in 12 poenchest dogs 10 minutes after occlusion of left anterior descending coronary artery distal to the first diagonal branch and left ventricular short axis 2-D echocardiographic images at the midpapillary muscle level were obtained. On injection of H2O2 blood mixture normally perfused myocardium was enhanced in echodensity but the area of malperfusion did not change in echodensity. The borderlines between the area of normal perfusion and malperfusion was well delineated. The malperfused area measured at mid papillary muscle level by planimetry area method was 29.7+/-6.0% and 32.6+/-6.7% by endocardial circumferential length method. There was a linear correlation between planimetric estimate of area of malperfusion by H2O2 contrast echocardiography and visual determination of regional wall motion abnormality by 2-D echocardiography(r=0.93, P<0.001). There was no change in heart rate before, during and after H2O2 injection. Infection of H2O2 blood mixture caused bradycardia(8.3%), second degree A-V block(16.6%) and ventricular fibrillation(8.3%). H2O2 clearance was achieved in 3-10 minutes. These findigs suggest that H2O2 enhanced myocardial contrast ehocargiography using 2ml of 0.2% H2O2 and 1ml of blood muxture is an accurate, reproducible, real-time in vivo method of quantifying the extent of myocardial perfusion defect during acute coronary occlusion in dog.
Animals ; Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Coronary Occlusion ; Coronary Vessels ; Dogs* ; Echocardiography* ; Heart Rate ; Heparin ; Hydrogen Peroxide* ; Hydrogen* ; Microbubbles ; Myocardium ; Oxygen ; Papillary Muscles ; Perfusion*

In the course of immunoscreening of Clonorchis sinensis cDNA library, a cDNA CsRP12 containing a tandem repeat was isolated. The cDNA CsRP12 encodes two putative peptides of open reading frames (ORFs) 1 and 2 (CsRP12-1 and -2). The repetitive region is composed of 15 repeats of 10 amino acids. Of the two putative peptides, CsRP12-1 was proline-rich and found to have homologues in several organisms. Recombinant proteins of the putative peptides were bacterially produced and purified by an affinity chromatography. Recombinant CsRP12-1 protein was recognized by sera of clonorchiasis patients and experimental rabbits, but recombinant CsRP12-2 was not. One of the putative peptide, CsRP12-1, is designated CsPRA, proline-rich antigen of C. sinensis. Both the C-termini of CsRP12-1 and -2 were bacterially produced and analysed to show no antigenicity. Recombinant CsPRA protein showed high sensitivity and specificity. In experimental rabbits, IgG antibodies to CsPRA was produced between 4 and 8 weeks after the infection and decreased thereafter over one year. These results indicate that CsPRA is equivalent to a natural protein and a useful antigenic protein for serodiagnosis of human clonorchiasis.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Animals ; Antigens, Helminth/*genetics/isolation & purification ; Base Sequence ; *Cloning, Molecular ; Clonorchis sinensis/genetics/*immunology ; DNA, Helminth ; Gene Library ; Human ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Rabbits ; Recombinant Proteins ; *Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid ; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

No abstract available.
Child* ; Humans

PURPOSE: Keratomileusis was performed in rabbits to investigate the effects of corneal epithelium on the corneal stromal keratocyte apoptosis and the effect of human IL-1alpha and TNFalpha on apoptotic genes in human corneal stromal cells was evaluated. METHODS: Fifty six New Zealand white rabbits underwent corneal flap procedure and corneal epithelium was inserted between the corneal flap and underlying stroma. Keratocyte apoptosis was detected with the TUNEL assay. Gene array technique was used to evaluate changes in apoptosis gene in human stromal fibroblasts in response to human recombinant IL-1alpha and TNFalpha in vitro. RESULTS: Keratocyte apoptosis was significantly greater in group for flap with insertion of peripheral epithelium at 4 hours after surgery(p=0.0249). IL-1alpha or TNFalpha regulated the expression of several genes (insulin like growth factor, stress activated protein kinase, GTP binding protein, IGFBP4) up and down in human stromal fibroblasts in culture. CONCLUSIONS: We think that the differences in the stromal cell apoptosis after keratomileusis were due to stromal cell response to various factors of inserted corneal epithelium. We found various new apoptosis gene expression in cultured human keratocytes mediated by IL-1alpha and TNFalpha that were secreted in corneal epithelium. These genes likely trigger the apoptosis of keratocyte following epithelial insertion associated with corneal surgery.
Apoptosis* ; Epithelium ; Epithelium, Corneal* ; Fibroblasts ; Gene Expression ; GTP-Binding Proteins ; Humans ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; Keratomileusis, Laser In Situ ; Protein Kinases ; Rabbits ; Stromal Cells ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha